


Lillie and Mina

by ElegantDragonair



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26341303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElegantDragonair/pseuds/ElegantDragonair
Summary: Lillie decides to become a Pokemon trainer in Kanto. After a chance run-in with Mina, who is in Kanto to find inspiration, the two girls travel together so Mina can help Lillie learn about the world of being a trainer!
Kudos: 4





	1. The First Steps

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the plot of Sun and Moon since I have played through all of Sun, but not all of Ultra Sun. Mina has the lineup she had in that game. Otherwise, Pokemon movesets and trainers'/gym leaders' lineups are based on FireRed/LeafGreen because I am playing the latter right now (I actually never played it when it was new, even though I played Blue and Yellow the first time around).

“Hey kids! Do you want to be a Pokemon trainer?” asked the overly eager male voice on the TV commercial. An assorted group of kids loudly answered in the affirmative. “If you’ve had your 10th birthday, then you can do it! All you need is a trainer application form signed by your parent or guardian.” The screen showed a piece of paper with black print, too small to read. “Bring that form to any Pokemon Center…” Now an outside shot of a Pokemon Center came on screen, followed by a smiling nurse accepting the form from a small girl. “And you’ll get your Pokemon trainer license! That’s all it takes!” Now the Internet address pokecen.kanto came on screen. “Visit pokecen.kanto for more information!”

Lillie must’ve seen this commercial about 300 times since moving to Kanto. She swore it came on TV every day. Every time it came on, she thought about it, but never went through with actually going to the website, or printing the form on Bill’s computer, or asking her mom if she could muster up the strength to sign it. She spent her days wandering around Cerulean City, playing with the Eevees Bill kept as pets, watching TV and occasionally checking in with her mother, who had improved slightly since coming to Kanto and beginning the intensive treatments she needed to free her body of the lingering issues caused by her dangerous fusion with Nihilego. (But only slightly.)

But Lillie was getting bored with all of this. Cerulean was interesting enough, with lots of neat shops and places to eat, but she was starting to get little pangs of envy when she saw trainers her age walking around with their Pokemon. She was starting to think maybe she could take on the gyms she saw on the weekly Gym Challenge Roundup TV series. She was even starting to wonder what would happen if she asked Bill if she could have one of the Eevees. 

So she resolutely went to Bill’s computer, turned on the printer and boldly typed pokecen.kanto in the internet browser. A few minutes later, the printer whirred to life and produced a beautiful piece of paper: the Pokemon Trainer Application Form.

She picked a pen up from the desk and studied it for a moment. It was just a plain old black pen, nothing special about it, except it was about to become the most special pen ever. She used it to fill out everything on the form that she could do herself, then looked it over to check that it was all correct before she took a deep breath. The most important part was left to do, but she couldn’t do it herself.

Still resolute, she marched into the spare bedroom, which had been turned into the Lusamine Care Center. (Lillie slept on the couch...and she was getting a little tired of that.) A nurse was in there, looking at the computer screen that read out Lusamine’s vitals and making notes on a tablet computer. 

“Oh, hello Lillie!” the nurse said cheerfully, smiling ear to ear, her face framed by short curly brown hair. This was Aislinn, Lillie’s favorite of the nurses who were part of Lusamine’s care team. She had a Chansey who sometimes assisted her, but the big pink Pokemon was not in the room. “How are you, dear?”

Lillie smiled back. “I’m doing well, Aislinn!”

“What’s that?” She gestured to the form and pen.

“It’s a Trainer Application Form. I want to become a Pokemon Trainer.” Lillie felt a swell of pride--and a little frisson of fear--as she said those words, knowing full well her mom could hear them.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Well, you’ll need your mother to sign it, won’t you?” asked Aislinn as she stepped aside, leaving Lillie in full sight of her mother, who was lying in a hospital bed but sitting up. Lillie nodded slightly and stepped forward.

Lusamine was still not her former self. She still had her long blonde hair, but it hung in two curtains, not in its magnificent mane as it was once. The nurses cared for it, washing and brushing it, but it wasn’t the same, and neither was her face. It was pale, very pale, and slightly sunken. Nihilego had done a number on her and recovery was going to take time...a long time. Though Lusamine was not the formidable and fearful woman she once was, Lillie still felt scared, but she resolved that she wouldn’t run away, she would ask the question.

“Mom…” she began, looking down at the form. “I want to do it, I want to be a Pokemon trainer.”

Lusamine smiled weakly. “I want you to,” she said quietly. This surprised Lillie. “I want you to go and explore. I don’t want you to be cooped up here with me.” She spoke slowly, as if each word took much more energy for her to form, but Lillie listened carefully. She raised her right hand, to which an IV drip was attached. “Give me the form. I will sign it.”

With some assistance from Aislinn, Lusamine managed to slowly, shakily sign the parental permission line on the form. Lillie watched eagerly, still very much pleasantly surprised that this was even happening right now.

Once finished, Lusamine handed Lillie the form. Lillie looked somewhat sadly at the shaky, juvenile-looking signature--it was nothing like the marvel of loops and lines that her mother once bestowed upon seemingly endless papers at Aether Paradise--but it was there. It was there, and that’s what mattered.

“Go and have an adventure. I’ll be here,” said Lusamine as Lillie took the form. “My beautiful girl. I love you.”

Lillie couldn’t answer because she felt a sharp pang in her throat and tears were welling up in her eyes.

“You can go, Lillie,” Aislinn said sweetly, patting her arm. “I’ll make sure your mom is okay. I promise.”

Nodding, her eyes too blurry to see properly, Lillie turned and left the room. Aislinn gingerly closed the door, which gave Lillie the freedom to let out an extremely loud gasp as the tears rolled down her face.

After collecting herself--Lillie wasn’t even sure why she had cried, but felt better after having done so, in a weird way--she put the pen back in Bill’s office and immediately set off for the Pokemon Center. Having explored Cerulean City thoroughly, she knew how to get there like the back of her hand, without thinking. All she could think about was the adventure she was about to begin, anyway, and she had no time for things like watching where she was going.

“Oof! Hey!” exclaimed a young female voice as, seconds too late, Lillie realized she’d bumped into someone. Stunned but now paying attention, Lillie looked at the person in question. A little taller than her, with chest-length blonde hair that had been dipped in pink at the ends, wearing a long shirt with green and pink splotches on it and frayed jeans, this person looked a little confused.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lillie said quickly. “I should’ve paid more attention. Are you OK?”

“I’m fine! But I feel like I’ve seen you before,” said the older girl, cocking her head to the side and narrowing her eyes. “Are you from Alola?”

“Yeah!” Lillie exclaimed excitedly. 

“Didn’t you...travel with Selene?” 

Lillie felt a swell of pride at this mention of her friend, the fearless champion of Alola, Selene--who had shown and taught her so much while they traversed the islands together, even if some of it was shrouded in a thick cloud of Max Repel. “I did!”

“Yeah! Of course! Okay, I think I remember you. What was your name?”

“Lillie! How about you?”

“I’m Mina, the Fairy-type trial captain of Alola!” She said this slightly loudly, as if to impress passersby, but then her voice went quieter and more relaxed. “Yeah. So, like, what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same. I’m going to become a Pokemon trainer.” Lillie showed Mina the form and her eyes widened.

“Whoa! You mean I could see your first moments as a trainer?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah, you could,” Lillie said, thinking it was weird that Mina even wanted to do that. “I’m going to the Pokemon Center now.” She pointed in its direction.

“Well, I’m coming with you,” Mina insisted, adjusting the bag slung across her back, as if the possibility that she might not tag along was the most absurd suggestion ever. Lillie just shrugged and started walking again. “Oh, by the way. I’m here to get inspiration.”

“Inspiration?”

“Yeah. Actually, it was your friend Selene who did it. I realized I had no trial for her. I just, like, gave her the Fairium Z, and then she became the champion. It seemed so half-baked. I need a trial to give people. An actual one.” Mina brushed her hair back and Lillie caught sight of her Z-Ring, a pink crystal mounted in the middle of it. “So I thought maybe if I came here, I’d think of something cool. Since there are no trials here, people will think different things, and those different things might just be my ticket to creating a trial masterpiece.” She drew a rectangle in the air with her hands, like a canvas.

“Sounds neat,” Lillie said thoughtlessly because she could see the marvelous Pokemon Center now, drawing ever closer. She grasped her form tightly--she didn’t want a gust of wind to blow it away--and felt her hand grow hotter with the sheer force of her holding it. The sounds around her turned into a buzz. Was Mina talking? She had no idea. The automatic doors to the center swept open at her presence and she walked in...it was time.

She took in her surroundings. Ahead of her was the front desk, where people handed over their injured Pokemon for treatment. The main room also featured a row of computers, a bank of video phones, a large TV set to the Kanto News Network, and two doors down two different hallways. A few other trainers were using the facilities--two were seated at a table, arguing about type advantages, while another used a video phone and yet another went down the left hallway. 

At the desk was a nurse, her characteristic pink hair gathered into a messy bun underneath her crisp white hat. She smiled as Lillie approached.

Meanwhile, Mina plopped down in a blue loveseat chair, took out her sketchbook, got a pencil and began to draw.

“Welcome to the Pokemon Center! How may I help you today?” the nurse asked, editing her standard greeting slightly because she clocked that Lillie had no Pokemon. 

“Hi, I, um, I want to become a trainer.” Lillie released her death grip on the form and placed it on the desk, sliding it towards the nurse slightly. She noticed her hand was a little sweaty now.

“Wonderful!” The nurse took the form and looked it over, nodding before inserting it into a document reader attached to a computer. The reader speedily scanned the form, digitizing it and putting its information into the database. The database created a randomized five-digit number, 27892, that showed on screen for a moment. “Okay, your Trainer ID number is 27892. Please step over here.” She gestured Lillie to stand in front of a light blue backdrop. “I’m going to take your ID picture now.” Lillie nervously walked in front of the backdrop and rooted her feet to where an X was marked on the floor. “Okay!” The nurse brought out a camera, also attached to the computer, and adjusted it. “Now smile...I’ll take the photo on three.” Lillie steadied herself and let a smile unfurl on her face. “One, two, three!”

Click.

The photo of the smiling Lillie, resplendent in her Z-Powered form, came up on screen. A printer whirred and buzzed, printing the Trainer ID card on sturdy plastic. This ID was handed to Lillie as soon as it was finished printing, still warm. She looked it over--Lillie, Trainer ID 27892--and held it tight.

“Thank you,” she said quietly to the nurse.

“You are so welcome!” the nurse responded happily. “Ohh, I love registering new trainers.” She reached under the desk and returned with some leaflets. “These are for you! One of them explains the many benefits of being a trainer. You can get free meals and lodging at any Pokemon Center in the world, not just Kanto. You can undergo gym or trial challenges. And the most important part, of course, is that you can now catch Pokemon and they will be registered to your ID number. Even if you trade them, they’ll always have that ID number.”

Lillie liked that idea.

“And the other is a helpful map of Kanto. The Pokemon Center and Mart locations are marked in bright red and bright blue, so you can always find us, and we’ll always be here.” The nurse bowed deeply. “Thank you! We hope to see you again soon!”

“Thank you,” Lillie answered as she gathered her new reading materials and put them in her hand with her ID card. She turned away from the desk and surveyed the room--where was Mina? Oh, there she was, nestled in a chair, furiously sketching away. Lillie approached her. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m drawing your first moments as a trainer,” Mina explained, again making it sound like the most natural thing in the world, like Lillie had asked her if the sky was blue. Lillie took a peek. That was indeed what was happening, Mina was drawing Lillie looking at her trainer ID, and the drawing was...really good. Mina was adding shadows and shading, really giving life to the scene she saw. “I wish they had a cafe in here.”

Lillie recalled the nurse advising her about free food at Pokemon Centers. “I think there might be food somewhere here?” 

Mina looked up from her drawing. “Well! That changes things.” She jumped to her feet, closing her sketchbook and tucking her pencil in the spiral binding. “Let’s go find some food.” She put her arm around Lillie. “Fellow trainer!”


	2. Here We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I refer to the money in the games here as dollars because that is their official English name per Bulbapedia, though it does make everything sound so expensive, lol.

Although the Pokemon Center cafe did not have Tapu Cocoa, much to Mina’s dismay, it did have suitable sustenance for the two girls to sit and discuss Lillie’s next steps.

Mina outlined them on a piece of paper torn from the end of her sketchbook, writing them in bubbly curly letters with pink ink.

LILLIE’S NEXT STEPS

Get some Poke Balls  
Get a Pokemon  
Gym Challenge!

“You know,” Lillie said, pointing to step 2. “I heard on TV that Professor Oak will give a Pokemon to new trainers.”

“Really! Where is he?” asked Mina, looking around the room.

“Pallet Town,” Lillie answered as she unfurled the map of Kanto. First she found Cerulean City at the top of it, her eyes darting over to Cerulean Cape and Bill’s house, putting her right index finger over Cerulean on the map. Then she found Pallet Town, putting her left index finger on it, and started drawing a route over to it with her right hand. “Oh jeez, it’s so far away!” 

Mina looked over the map as well. “Oh…”

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Lillie said sadly.

“Yes, you can,” Mina insisted. “I’ll go with you. I don’t think I’m going to find my inspiration here, anyway. I’ve been looking, but…” She shrugged. “Nothing. I’ll go with you, make sure you get to Pallet Town okay.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah! No problem! So that’s step 2 taken care of, but now to step 1. Let’s get you some Poke Balls.” Mina pointed to step 1. 

“Lillie!” The two girls whirled around to find the source of the call--it was Bill, standing in the entrance to the cafe, waving his arm wildly. His other hand had two bags in it. “Lillie! Hey!” He rushed over to their table. “Hello,” he said to Mina, who just nodded. “Lillie! I was out, but I got back and I heard you were going to register as a trainer! I have gifts for you!” Lillie saw Mina’s eyes light up at the word gift. Bill pulled up a seat and put one bag on the table first. 

“I’m Mina,” said Mina, interested now, shaking hands with Bill. “I’m from Alola too. I’m here to help Lillie get started on her journey. And other stuff too.”

“Very nice!” Bill said with a smile. “That’s what these gifts are for, too. First, from me.” He reached in the bag and came back out with a Poke Ball. “This is your very first Pokemon.” Lillie and Mina both beheld the ball. “Well, go on then, open it!”

Lillie took the ball in her hand and studied it for a moment--the gleaming red and white, the black central band, the button in the middle. She looked at Bill and Mina, who looked back encouragingly, and then she very gingerly tossed the ball down to the floor. The inside glowed white for a moment, then materialized into the form of…

“Eevee!” 

Lillie smiled in delight. This was an Eevee, but not just any old Eevee. It was her favorite Eevee of all the ones Bill kept as pets. She knew because this Eevee had a slight little chip in his right ear and because he brightened up considerably upon seeing Lillie.

“Vee! Vee!” 

“For me?” Lillie asked Bill, who nodded.

“He’s your favorite. I know because I saw how well you cared for him. When Lusamine told me you were registering, I picked him up right away. And though I am registered as his original trainer, he is yours now.” 

Lillie studied the brown and white foxlike Pokemon, who studied her right back. “Thank you so much, Bill. For Eevee, for everything. You’ve done so much for my mom and me.”

“It’s no problem! You are very welcome,” Bill said warmly. “I also got you some extra Poke Balls so you can start catching your own Pokemon.” He handed over a set of six small, as-yet-unused Poke Balls. “And your mother wanted you to have this.” He slid over some money. “Money to help you on your journey.”

“Whoa,” Mina said with wonder as she eyed the money. “That’s, like, 20,000 dollars.” 

Bill changed bags now, placing a familiar white duffel bag on the table. “I believe you may recognize this.”

Lillie nodded. “My bag!” She pulled it towards her, Eevee watching with interest, and unzipped it. 

“Those are your things. I think I got everything, but if I find something, I’ll mail it to you at the nearest Pokemon Center,” Bill explained. “Where are you headed?”

“Pallet Town,” Mina answered quickly. 

“Aah, yes, going to go see Professor Oak, I presume,” Bill answered. “He’ll give you a Pokedex. You can use that to learn more about the Pokemon you encounter as well as the ones you have.”

Mina looked alert and then rummaged in her bag, producing a standard Alolan Pokedex, one that was not imbued with a Rotom. “Like that?”

“Like that, yes,” said Bill, “though maybe different, I don’t recognize that one.”

“Straight from Professor Kukui, dude, yeah,” Mina said, doing a pitch-perfect impression of the man Lillie once lived with, long ago. Lillie giggled, then wondered how the professor was doing.

“As I recall, Professor Oak also has special starter Pokemon available. You may find that one of them would be a good companion for your Eevee,” Bill said, gesturing to Eevee, who was now rubbing his head against the outside of Lillie’s bag. Lillie smiled and pet his head. “Well, ladies, I should be going. I have some very interesting data to put in my computer.” Bill stood up from the table. “I wish you both the best of luck on your journey.”

“Thanks!” Lillie and Mina said in unison. Bill took his bag, gave one last pet to Eevee and left the cafe.

“Well, he was cool,” Mina remarked, watching him go, then looking to see Lillie enthralled with Eevee. “Eevee is a cutie.”

“Yeah,” Lillie answered breathily.

“We should go get him some food that we can take with us. We’ll need some snacks and water too. There may be times when a Pokemon Center isn’t close by, so some Potions too,” Mina said, counting on her fingers. “Lillie, I think it is time we did some shopping.”

With Eevee safely recalled in his ball, Lillie and Mina left the Pokemon Center and first stopped by the nearby Pokemon Mart, its shelves lined with various gleaming objects for a trainer’s journey. Mina helped Lillie pick out the things she would need--Potions, fixes for status conditions, an Escape Rope just in case and a couple of Repels (“like old times for you,” Mina explained). 

They also stopped by Cerulean Market, which Mina declared was nothing like Thrifty Megamart, but it was similar. Its purpose was to sell things for both humans and Pokemon that were otherwise unavailable in the Mart, things like Pokemon food and human clothes, and so on. Lillie picked out a bag of food for Pokemon of Eevee’s size after marveling at all the various sizes available--some Pokemon were truly enormous--and then realized Mina was missing. 

The store was pretty large, so Lillie clutched her bag close (she had become accustomed to doing this during her time on Alola) and began peering down each of the aisles...until once again she bumped into Mina.

“Jeez! We just can’t stop!” Mina remarked this time. Lillie just laughed. “Oh, cool, you got some Eevee grub.” Mina had a basket in her hand and it was full to bursting. “I got some provisions for us, some towels--you never know when you’ll need them, it’s good to travel with them--ponchos for if it rains, sunglasses for when it’s sunny, flashlights for when it’s dark, oh, and…” She took a book out of the basket. “This will teach you how to beat every gym in Kanto.”

Lillie studied the book’s cover. The Super-Secret Guide to Kanto’s Gyms, it said.

“Not secret anymore,” she mumbled.

Mina laughed. “Good point. It’s only 800 dollars, that’s 100 dollars per gym. Not a bad deal.” She popped the book back in her basket. “Shall we?”

Cerulean Market offered a discount for trainers, so their shopping didn’t cost as much as they thought, and they evenly split everything but the Eevee food and the book so no one was carrying too much stuff in their bags.

Now that the two were prepared for their journey, it was time to set off. They headed through the city, bound for Route 4, the real start of the adventure. At the precipice of the city, the route ahead of them, they paused for a moment.

“This is it,” Mina remarked. “No turning back now. Once we step out of the city, this is real.” She turned to Lillie. “You ready?”

Lillie looked back at her. “Yeah.”

“Cool.” Mina grinned. “You first.” She gestured with an open hand. Lillie took a deep breath in, stepped out of the city and exhaled. This was it! This was Route 4! This was the start of something new!


	3. Mount Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so obviously I’m not going to make Route 4 one-way like it is in the games, lol. That’s just impractical!

Route 4 was pretty empty, nothing more than a small expanse of land situated at the base of Mt. Moon. Mina told Lillie how to look out for fellow trainers who wanted a fight, but there was no need because there was truly no one in sight anywhere. It was clear there was only one way to go, so they went, ignoring a nearby patch of grass, and stopped once again at the entrance to the mountain.

“Ready?” asked Mina, and Lillie nodded. “Cool.” They stepped inside, noticing how the temperature grew cooler immediately thanks to the cave walls within. “Remember what I said about the trainers. You’ll definitely find some here. I’ll be right by you if you need me to help you in battle.” 

Then they were immediately ambushed by a Zubat. Both girls shrieked in unison, waving their hands around wildly, which scared off the bat Pokemon.

“Ugh! Zubat! You’re gonna see tons of those in caves,” Mina advised.

“I remember Selene telling me about them,” Lillie answered.

“Yeah, they’re all over the caves in Alola too. Do you want to use a Repel?” Mina asked.

Lillie thought about it for a moment, then got out a canister and sprayed it all around. This enabled the girls to more easily move forward a few steps at a time.

“Stop right there!” announced a man in a white lab coat, black pants and round glasses. The girls instinctively stopped and looked at him. “Ha ha! We locked eyes! It is time…” He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “For a battle!”

Mina clapped a hand on Lillie’s shoulder. “It’s time to shine,” she said. 

Lillie stepped forward. “OK, let’s battle!” She took out Eevee’s ball. “Go, Eevee!” She threw it forward and Eevee emerged excitedly.

“Go, Grimer,” the man said, and a pile of purple ooze emerged from his Poke Ball. 

“Whoa, it’s different,” Mina remarked. “It’s not green.”

“What are you talking about?” the man asked. “Grimer is purple!”

“Not where I come from,” Mina said with a shrug. “Anyway, Lillie, he’s all yours.”

Lillie paused. “Um...I don’t know what moves Eevee can use.”

Mina snapped her fingers and took out her Pokedex, then tapped its screen a few times. “OK, that’s a level 7 Eevee, so here’s what it’s got.” She showed it to Lillie. 

“Tackle, Tail Whip, Helping Hand…” Lillie read aloud.

“This is HARDLY fair,” the man said angrily.

“Buzz off,” Mina snarled back. “This is my friend’s first battle ever.” She looked at Lillie now. “Try using Tackle first. I have an idea.” Lille nodded and turned to the man while Mina turned away and began rummaging in her bag.

“Eevee, use Tackle!” Lillie commanded and Eevee nodded, rearing up, wiggling its tail and then running headfirst into Grimer. 

“Hehe, I hope you enjoyed that. That’ll be the last time. Grimer, use Disable!” the man commanded.

Grimer responded affirmatively and nothing seemed to happen at first.

“Eevee, Tackle again,” Lillie said, but Eevee did nothing. “Eevee? Are you okay?”

“Ha ha, I disabled Tackle. Can’t use that anymore for this battle,” the man said tauntingly. Lillie fumed. 

“Eevee, Tail Whip!” So instead of tackling Grimer, Eevee turned around and wiggled his tail at him. “I...kind of thought that’d be different,” Lillie admitted. 

“It only lowers defense,” the man explained in a very know-it-all way that infuriated both the girls. Mina now had her plan in place. Her hand clasped tightly around something, she approached Lillie and whispered in her ear. “Again, this is HARDLY fair!”

“Oh, who are you gonna complain to, your mommy?” Mina asked tauntingly, sticking her tongue out. 

“Urgh! Grimer, Pound!” Grimer moved forward and aggressively pounded Eevee with his mass. Mina nodded at Lillie, who nodded back.

“Go, Granbull!” Mina threw an Ultra Ball and a large pink bulldog emerged from within. 

Before the man could protest further, Lillie yelled “Eevee! Helping Hand!” Eevee excitedly jumped on his back feet and clapped his front feet encouragingly, causing Granbull to nod in understanding. 

“Granbull, Earthquake!” 

The ground below the Grimer rumbled, quietly at first and then louder and louder, the earth itself shaking beneath him. He was rocked violently and when the shaking stopped, he was clearly unable to keep battling.

“Darn it,” the man hissed, recalling him back into the Poke Ball. “Okay, you girls want to play dirty, I can too! Go, Voltorb and Koffing!” He sent out two at once, one Pokemon a red and white ball and the other a purple ball with what looked like geysers all over it as well as a skull and crossbones. “Voltorb, Tackle that Eevee! Koffing, use Smog on the Granbull!” 

The two did their trainer’s bidding, Voltorb tackling Eevee and Koffing spraying noxious purple smog all over Granbull. Eevee looked a little worse for wear, but still eager to battle more. 

“Eevee, Tail Whip on Voltorb,” Lillie said, remembering that Tackle was still a no-go.

“Granbull, Earthquake on both,” Mina said with a big wide smile. Eevee wiggled his tail at Voltorb disarmingly and then the ground opened up once more beneath both enemy combatants. The tremor weakened them both to the point they were no longer in battling shape and they were recalled.

“I’m gonna tell all my friends about you two and how you battle dirty,” the man snarled in defeat before counting out 288 dollars and resentfully handing them over. Mina gestured to Lillie to take the money before the girls recalled their Pokemon and walked out of his earshot.

“What a loser,” Mina remarked. “Hate guys like him. They think they’re the greatest thing since Poke Balls. I deal with a lot of them as trial-goers.” She put her arm around Lillie. “But you won!”

“We won,” Lillie corrected. “Without you explaining Helping Hand to me, I wouldn’t have known.”

“Well, Eevee only has one damaging move and he’d disabled it. It was unfair to you. He probably would’ve knocked you out before the move was enabled again and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.” Mina paused. “Our Pokemon could both use a Potion, maybe.”

They sat on an expanse of flat rock and brought out Eevee and Granbull, applying Potions carefully to both.

“What Pokemon do you have?” Lillie wondered.

Mina smiled and got out her Pokedex. “I’ll show you the team.” She tapped a few times and a screen came up with pictures of 5 Pokemon. 

Klefki

Granbull

Shiinotic

Wigglytuff

Ribombee

“Granbull has been with me the longest,” Mina said proudly. “Ever since he was just a little Snubbull pup. Such a cutie.” She pet Granbull affectionately. “Ribombee is my ace, though. She’s surprisingly strong! Many trial-goers have underestimated her. All 5 of these Pokemon have Fairy type, but many of them have another type too, and their moves each have types as well. I knew a Ground move would be strong against that jerk’s team, so even though it came from a Fairy type, it was super strong. Especially with Helping Hand.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” Lillie asked in amazement.

“It comes with time. You’ll get there too. I’ll help you learn. Then it will get so much easier when you have your Pokedex, too.” Mina smiled and ruffled Lillie’s hair. “You won’t know everything at first. It’s okay to ask for help.”

“Or to have someone offer me help.”

Mina grinned. “Well, yeah. That’s just girls helping girls. We have to watch out for each other because guys sure won’t.” She stretched out and sighed in relief. “Wanna keep going?”

They kept on, fighting more trainers along the way, Mina helping out with different members of her team each time. Lillie thought Wigglytuff was really cute and Shiinotic was a bit eerie. Eevee got enough experience to move up a level, which opened up Sand Attack as a possibility and made battling even easier. Mina told Lillie that she heard sometimes you could find Clefairy in here, and it would be a great Fairy-type member of her team, but they didn’t find any even after the Repel wore off. Geodude didn’t interest her and Paras creeped her out, so they left Mount Moon with the same team as they entered, just a little stronger.

Right outside Mount Moon was a Pokemon Center that was met with great relief--the girls wanted very much to sit down and their Pokemon needed healing--so they stepped inside and were met by a mysterious man.

“Ladies, ladies,” he said slyly. “I have the deal of the century for you. I have an amazing, astonishing, wonderful, magnificent Pokemon for sale. Just 500 dollars gets you a sure thing! This Pokemon will dazzle you and demolish your enemies. What do you say?”

Mina folded her arms. “What Pokemon is it?”

“You will discover that after the sale is complete.”

“No,” she insisted. “What Pokemon is it?” She raised her Z-Ring up. “Do you know what this is?”

“A very lovely piece of jewelry?”

“This,” and she wriggled her wrist so her Fairium Z glimmered in the light. “Is a Z-Ring. It was bestowed upon me by the sacred Guardian Deity Tapu Fini. They gave me this because they saw my worthiness as a Pokemon trainer. I hold this Fairium Z as the trial captain of Poni Island on Alola!” As Mina talked, Lillie noticed a chain dangling from a belt loop of Mina’s jeans. Attached to it was a flower-shaped charm with a pink jewel in it that glinted as its wearer moved while speaking. “That means I’m basically a gym leader and I demand you tell me what is in that Ball!”

Silence followed.

“...Magikarp,” the man mumbled, ashamed, unable to meet Mina’s gaze.

“Get out of here and don’t you dare try to sell that to any other trainer,” Mina insisted, her voice steely and firm. The man nodded and quietly left the Pokemon Center.

“Oh my Arceus, Mina, that was AWESOME!” Lillie squealed, high-fiving the trial captain, who smiled bashfully.

“Part of the job,” she said, blushing slightly. 

“Is it all true?” Lillie asked as they moved towards the desk to get their Pokemon healed. Mina nodded.

“Every word. Tapu Fini chose me when I was 13. I’ve been doing this for a few years now. Trial captains have to retire when they turn 20, so I have some more time.”

“Thank you for telling that man off,” the nurse said Mina when she got to the desk. “He’s been here forever!”

“No prob,” Mina answered as she handed over her Ultra Balls and Lillie added her Poke Ball. 

“Your Pokemon will be healed soon. We will call your names over the loudspeaker when they are ready. In the meantime you may enjoy all of our amenities.” The nurse looked at her computer, which had a special note for her. “Oh, Lillie! You have some letters for you.”

Lillie looked confused. “What?”

“People can send letters or packages to Pokemon Centers for a trainer to pick up. It looks like your letters are still at Cerulean, so give me a few minutes, I’ll have them flown over. Okay?” the nurse asked cheerily.

“O...kay,” Lillie said, still confused. Mina took a seat nearby and opened her sketchbook, so Lille joined her and, after a few awkward seconds, decided to start on the gym guidebook.

“Farfetch’d! Far--fetch’d!” A few minutes later, a bird Pokemon holding a leek in one hand and wearing a little messenger bag triumphantly entered the center, waddling in away from the doors. The nurse rose from her seat and met the bird where he stood, giving him a treat and opening his messenger bag to retrieve two letters.

“Here are your letters!” She handed them over to Lillie, who mumbled a still-confused thank you. Who could be writing her letters? She turned down the corner of the page in her guidebook, closed it and looked at the letters while Farfetch’d waddled away and flew off once he got outdoors.

One letter said Lillie on it in untidy scrawled handwriting and the other said the same but in neater, tidier script. Intrigued now, Lillie opened the neatly-written one first.

It was a letter from Selene, written on paper with a pattern featuring the four isles of Alola. (Lillie wondered briefly why Aether Paradise wasn’t included.) 

“Dear Lillie, Professor Kukui told me that he saw on the internet you got registered as a trainer! Congratulations. I’m so happy for you. You’re going to love having adventures with Pokemon. 

“I am doing well. I’m still the champion, but Kukui tells me I should be ready for challengers at any time. I have a special device that will summon me to Mt. Lanakila if needed. I hate it up there! It’s too cold. I told Kukui he should’ve built the League on a beach. He told me that wouldn’t have been special enough. Okay, dude, whatever.”

Lillie giggled at that. Yep, that sounded like Kukui.

“I have been exploring in the meantime. I’ve been catching and evolving more Pokemon. I want to try to complete the Alolan Pokedex someday, but that will take some time. Speaking of Pokemon, Nebby is doing well. I think they miss you, though. I told them you were a trainer now and they seemed happy.”

Lillie’s heart rose at the mere thought of her sweet little Nebby, though they weren’t so little anymore, having evolved into a magnificent legendary lion called Solgaleo. She imagined going back to pay Nebby a visit, though this time as champion of Kanto, and enjoyed the thought.

“I hope your mom is feeling better. I know she is in good hands. My mom says hello--and so does Meowth! I bet you will see some Kantonian Meowth on your travels.

“When I get a challenger, I will let you know what happens. You might also see it on TV, too! Let me know you got this letter okay. I can’t wait to hear from you!”

Selene signed off by drawing a big plump heart with a glimmer mark on it and signing her name in cursive. Lillie gingerly tucked the letter back in its envelope and slid it into her guidebook before looking at the other one. 

This one was on paper from one of Alola’s malasada shops. Lillie missed malasadas--they were unheard of in Kanto. She knew right away who wrote this one.

“Alola, Lillie! Miss ya so much. Do they have malasada in Kanto? The Prof told me you’re a trainer now! That’s so cool. I hope you get plenny Pokemon and have lots of big battles!

“I’m training real hard lately. I want to challenge Selene and try to become champion, but don’t tell her I said that, it’s a surprise! Grandpa is helping me with that. He is also helping me train up some old Team Skull idiots--sorry, former members--who showed up in Iki Town one day and said they were done with the life of crime. They’re not great with Pokemon battles, but they’re awesome at Alolan sumo. Who knew? Grandpa did. 

“Lillie, one day I want to be so strong that I can come to Kanto and find you. I want to see you again, but I’m not ready. I want to find my dad, too. I attached a picture of him the last time I saw him before he left. If you see anyone who looks like him, can you ask him if he is Akamu from Iki Town?”

Lillie looked in the envelope and saw a photograph of a strikingly handsome young man with darker skin, short black hair and a serious expression on his face. She felt a pang of sadness--she related very much to having a father who wasn’t in her life, though she felt she had no chance at seeing her dad again. She vowed to keep an eye out for Akamu and put the photo back in the envelope.

“Write me back when you have time. Maybe I will see if I can send you a malasada! Me ke alola, Hau”

Lillie smiled warmly at this letter before also gingerly putting it back in the envelope and into her guidebook. She resolved to look for some writing paper and pens in the next city because she now really, really needed to write to her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me ke alola is an Alolan version of me ke aloha, or with love in Hawaiian, as per hawaiian-words.com. I believe Hau also says plenny, which is Hawaiian slang for lots of/plenty, in the course of the game, so I had him say it here too.


	4. Off to Pewter City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember traveling and going to hotels?? In 2020, those seem like long-gone memories, which is why I enjoyed describing a hotel room so much.

After their big day at Mount Moon, Lillie and Mina decided to stay the night at the Pokemon Center. It was actually Mina who decided it because she was too tired to keep on going and wanted to spend some time working on her art. (She now needed to add color to her drawing of Lillie’s first moments as a trainer.) 

So, once their teams were fully healed and returned, they went down the right-side hallway, which led them past framed pictures of the area around them and into a lobby labeled Pokemon Center Lodging. This featured a desk staffed by a woman with short spiky purple hair who was wearing a purple and white uniform. The lobby also included a few assorted tables and chairs and a wall of windows that allowed a scenic view of the mountainous surroundings. 

“Welcome to the Pokemon Center Lodging!” the staffer said cheerfully. “Are you here to stay the night?” 

“Yes, please,” Mina said before digging her trainer ID card out of her bag, which caused Lillie to do the same. “Two trainers for the night, please.”

“Would you like a bunk room or a double bed room?” the staffer asked as she tapped the two trainer ID numbers into her computer. 

“Double bed, please,” Mina requested. “I don’t do well with bunks,” she explained to Lillie, who nodded understandingly. 

“Great! Here you go…” She slid the trainer IDs back across the desk, then added two purple key cards that were labeled Pokemon Center Lodging - Mount Moon - Room 205. “You’re in room 205. You can take the stairs or the elevator located right beside this very desk to the next floor up, then turn left and it will be down the hall. Quiet hours start at 10 pm and go until 7 am. Snacks and drinks are available in vending machines near the stairs and elevator. If you would like a meal, go back into the Center lobby and then go down the left-hand hall. You may allow certain Pokemon to relax outside of their balls while in your room, but there is a size limit, which you can see on the back of the key cards. If you have any questions, you can call me from the phone in your room. Otherwise, please enjoy your stay!” 

Lillie took one of the key cards, Mina took the other and they went up the stairs to the second floor, quickly finding 205. Mina let Lillie swipe her key card to open the door.

Inside, the room was sparse yet clean, featuring two queen size beds decorated with purple bed sheets and fluffy white pillows. Between the beds was a small table with a clock and phone on it. Wall-mounted lamps were mounted above each bed, providing another source of light. There was also a desk and chair as well as a TV atop a chest of drawers. One door led to the bathroom and another was a closet that contained some extra pillows, extra sheets and purple Pokemon beds of various sizes. 

“I’ll take this one!” Lillie said, putting her bag down on the bed nearest to the window, which also looked out towards the mountainous surroundings. Mina nodded and slung her bag onto the other bed, quickly taking out her art supplies and then setting them up on the desk. Sitting on the bed, Lillie took a look at the back of the key card, which had the Pokemon size limit rules.

-Please make sure your Pokemon stay in the room if they are unattended.

-Pokemon of six feet in height or below may be released inside the room. The weight limit is 300 pounds. If you do not know your Pokemon’s size, call the front desk and we can help.

-Please clean up after your Pokemon. Call the front desk if you need cleaning materials.

-Please do your best to make sure your Pokemon obey the quiet hours of 10 pm to 7 am.

-Thank you!

“Is it OK if I let Eevee out?” Lillie asked. Already deep in picking out colored pencils, Mina simply nodded, so Lillie retrieved Eevee’s Poke Ball and released him.

“Vee!” he chirruped excitedly before walking around the room, sniffing various objects, and then settling in front of the window to gaze at the scenery. 

“OK if I watch TV?” Lillie asked, and once again Mina simply nodded. Having lived on a couch until very recently, Lillie had grown quite accustomed to having the TV on pretty much all the time. She even slept with it on, though turned down to a very low volume. It had a calming effect on her, plus she tended to enjoy what was on because almost every show iterated on the theme of people and Pokemon working together. After what she’d experienced with her mother’s misuse of Pokemon, she needed to see things like this.

The girls went to the cafeteria--Lillie recalled Eevee because she was worried he might chew on something in their absence--for dinner as the sun started to set, creating a beautiful multicolored sunset over the mountains. One of the meal choices offered was super-cheesy pizza and they both chose it because who can resist super-cheesy pizza? So then they sat across from each other, laughing as they dramatically pulled the stretchy cheese into strings that had to be at least a foot long. 

After dinner, Mina returned to her art (“I’m coming along,” she explained, “though your hair is challenging, the color is very hard to get just right, but worth it…”) and Lillie watched a TV show in which two twin brothers and their twin Conkeldurrs worked together to renovate a house. The burly Pokemon were particularly good at demolition, though they were also surprisingly adept with paintbrushes. This had become one of her favorite shows since moving to Kanto because the drama was always fairly small stuff--the house would have an infestation of Nincada or the tile color for the kitchen wasn’t right--and again because people and Pokemon worked together to get the job done. Plus, she admitted, the twin brothers were kind of cute.

There was a marathon of that show on, so Lillie kept watching while Mina kept working, eventually declaring that she had perfected the color of her traveling companion’s hair. To her, this was a good stopping point. She carefully put all her supplies back in their pouches and cases, stowing them in her bag, then retreated to her bed and watched the house renovation show with Lillie for a while. When bedtime was approaching, Lillie went to wash her face and change clothes, returning to find that Mina had brought out Wigglytuff from her ball and was cozying up with her in bed.

“Her fur is so soft,” Mina reasoned. “Snuggling with her is nice. Feel it!” Lillie gingerly reached out and touched the pudgy pink Pokemon, discovering firsthand that indeed Wigglytuff was indeed very soft. 

Lillie retrieved a Pokemon bed that seemed to be about Eevee’s size and placed it on the floor just in case he preferred that over hopping in bed with her, then pulled the covers back and climbed into bed. “Wow,” she said as she suddenly realized it, “I haven’t slept in a real bed in forever.”

Mina sat up. “Forever?”

“Well, not forever. But I was sleeping on the couch at Bill’s house until now, and then in Alola I was sleeping on a futon in Professor Kukui’s lab.” Lillie smiled. She did have good memories of living with the professor, though--she liked how his aquarium looked at night--and she was grateful to him for his hospitality, but still. “This is very comfortable. Much better than a couch.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Mina said with a little laugh. “Enjoy it, OK? Get a good night’s sleep because we’re going off to Pewter City tomorrow!”

“Will do. Is it OK if I keep the TV on, but turned down low? I got used to having it on while I sleep.”

“No problem.” Wigglytuff let out a yawn that caused her to inflate slightly. Her trainer just laughed again. “Good night, Lillie.” 

“Good night, Mina.” 

Mina fell asleep quickly, but it took Lillie a little while longer, and she only really fell asleep after Eevee hopped in bed and curled up next to her.

She awoke the next morning to find the other bed was empty--the sheets rumpled, but still, the bed was empty. “Mina?” She sat up, Eevee making a small sleepy noise of protest, and saw a note dashed out on a notepad emblazoned with the Lodging logo.

“Hey, woke up early, gonna go make some video calls. Meet me in the cafeteria when you get up.” 

Lillie got out of bed and retrieved the bag of Eevee food, placing some kibbles of it on the floor. The scent of it made Eevee perk up and immediately go investigate. While Eevee ate, Lillie got cleaned up and changed clothes, putting her hair back up into her Z-powered form’s high ponytail and letting her mind wander to theorizing about who Mina was calling. Maybe her parents? Or some of the other trial captains? Who was handling her trials while she was gone? It wasn’t, strictly speaking, her business, but she was curious, and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to ask. 

Eevee’s food was all gone when she was done getting ready, so she switched off the TV, picked up her key card and gestured to him, watching his little legs move fast as he trotted along beside her, leaving the room. 

“Let’s go get breakfast, Eevee,” she said cheerfully but quietly in the hallway. The two of them exited the lodging and came out into the main lobby, where Mina was nowhere to be found. Instead, she was in the cafeteria, munching on waffles shaped like Geodudes and toast slathered with Pecha Berry jam.

“Morning!” Mina said through a full mouth. “Mm, sorry.” She swallowed. “Saw my note?”

“Sure did.”

“The time difference can be a little rough between here and Alola. I’ve found this is a good time to call back home.” Mina had another bite of toast. “Mom and Dad say hi, by the way. They think it’s cool that I’m helping you.”

“It is cool!” Lillie said encouragingly. “Are the waffles good?”

Mina nodded and gestured towards the steam tables lining the inner wall of the cafeteria. Eevee followed his trainer as she went over to have a look--everything looked delicious, but she really wanted to try the Geodude waffles, so she settled on those and a tall glass of Moomoo Milk. 

“Ah, the Moomoo Milk here tastes different,” Mina remarked as she spied the glass. “Not quite the same as Paniola Ranch. Maybe it’s the different soil here. Grows the grass differently.” She shrugged. Lillie still thought it was quite tasty, though. “I’ll still put it in my coffee, of course!” Indeed, Mina had a very light brown cup of coffee in a plain white stoneware mug. “But maybe it’s just different when Kiawe isn’t delivering it.” She sipped her coffee and giggled. “He’s not hard to look at.”

“I think the twins with the Conkeldurrs are pretty cute,” Lillie admitted as she cut up her Geodude waffles, feeling her ears turn red from blushing. 

“Oooh, yeaaah,” Mina said in a dreamy singsong voice and then both girls giggled. They were content to talk more about which boys were cute--and which boys were resolutely not cute--as they polished off their breakfasts and went back to the room to get their belongings.

After checking out of the lodging, the girls stepped out into a calm, slightly cool morning. “Now, I gotta warn you,” Mina began as they walked away from the Pokemon Center, Eevee dutifully following beside. “There are going to be a lot of trainers on Route 3. Again, I am here to help you, and we can always run back to the Pokemon Center if you need to heal. Okay?”

Lillie nodded, resolute. “Okay.”

Mina was not wrong. There were more than a few, though no one who was a jerk like the guy Lillie had her very first battle against. Eevee grew a couple of levels, but didn’t learn any new moves, at least according to Mina’s Pokedex. (Lillie was looking forward to having one of her own so she wouldn’t have to keep mooching, though Mina didn’t mind. Mina didn’t really seem to mind most things.) However, there was a break from battles at one point thanks to a large patch of grass that contained the eventual second member of Lillie’s budding team.

She spotted a small Pidgey that was idly pecking at the ground and signaled to Eevee that he should initiate a battle. He used Tackle, which visibly weakened the Pidgey but didn’t cause it to faint. It responded by kicking up a Sand Attack, but Lillie wasn’t discouraged. She decided against trying Tackle again for fear it might knock out the little bird, so instead she took out one of her Poke Balls.

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered before throwing the ball with all her might, trying to remember how Selene did it. To her encouragement, the ball made contact with Pidgey, drawing it inside and then wriggling on the ground.

It wriggled once.

It wriggled twice. 

It wriggled thrice.

And then the button color changed from red to its normal hue. 

“You got it!” Mina said excitedly, doing a happy dance before aiming her Pokedex at the ball. It read out the information about Pidgey and also announced that this particular one was a girl.

“Welcome to the team, Pidgey,” Lillie said warmly as she picked up the ball, holding it close for a moment before sending Pidgey back out and applying a Potion that brought her back to fighting shape. After all, the new addition to her team would need some battle experience, and there were still a few more trainers to duel with before they’d reach the city.


	5. Cities and Towns

Compared to Cerulean City, Pewter City was a little smaller and a little more compact, but still buzzing with life and possibility. Along with some taller office buildings, the city featured a large Museum of Science and the stone-fronted Pewter Gym. It was getting to be lunchtime by the time Lillie and Mina arrived, so they dropped their Pokemon off to be healed (Lillie didn’t need Mina’s help nearly as much this time, though she did accept it when she was in a pinch) and ate up in the Pokemon Center cafeteria. The cafeteria here was decorated with many marvelous rocks and crystals that had been excavated from the surrounding mountains, a sight that especially dazzled and intrigued Mina.

In the afternoon, the two explored the city and Lillie found a cute little store where she could buy pens and paper for writing back to Selene and Hau. She picked out paper decorated with a stony pattern and featuring the inscription of Pewter City--she wanted to let them know where she had been--but decided against writing to them until after her battle with Brock, which wasn’t going to happen until after her visit to Professor Oak. Her gym guidebook told her that Bulbasaur would be a sure bet for this gym and, well, she wanted to have a sure bet on her side before making the challenge.

They did enter the Gym, but as spectators to watch Brock take on a challenger. Spectating Gym battles was especially popular in the city, as they found out because the rows of bleachers above the Gym floor were packed shoulder to shoulder. Lillie made notes in her guidebook about Brock’s team--the Geodude, the Onix--and his strategy of having Onix bind up Pokemon before knocking them out under a Rock Tomb.

“Are you nervous?” Mina, who was chowing down on some popcorn purchased just outside the Gym, whispered to Lillie. She considered it for a moment. She was a little nervous, just because of the crowd and everything, though she felt confident that a Bulbasaur would keep her from getting knocked out, unlike the current challenger, who lost and gave Brock a firm handshake before leaving in defeat.

“A little bit,” Lillie admitted.

“Don’t be, you’re gonna do great,” Mina said.

“But what about this crowd, though?” Lillie asked, looking around her.

“Eh, what about them?” Mina tossed some popcorn into her mouth. “Give them a good show!” She tossed her hair in a showy manner.

“I guess,” mumbled Lillie as she looked down at the notes she’d scribbled in her guidebook again. 

That evening in the room at Pewter’s Pokemon Center Lodging, she studied from her guidebook some more, as if hoping that looking at it enough times would bring her total and complete reassurance that she would win. It didn’t, though, and left her only feeling mildly uneasy. So, she put the book away and sank into watching a baking show where a rainbow-colored Alcremie helped the owner of a bakery in Galar create absolutely stunning cakes. Her dreams that night were tinged with buttercream and sugared Berries.

The girls continued on to Viridian Forest the next day. Lillie wasn’t interested in the bug Pokemon that populated this lush forest, though there was a different Pokemon that caught her eye. It was elusive, though--she would catch a glimpse of its black-tipped ears or its lightning-shaped tail, but it would be gone before she could command Eevee or Pidgey into battle. She swore she chased it around all morning, stopping occasionally to fight the Bug Catchers who hung out between the trees and tall grass, before finally cornering it and being able to battle.

And that is how a male Pikachu became the third member of Lillie’s team!

She was overjoyed to already have half of a full team on her hands, plus Pikachu being an Electric type brought in a little variation. She was also able to level him up to the point where he learned Thunder Wave, a helpful move that paralyzes its target and thus makes them less likely (though not fully unlikely, as Mina advised her) to be able to attack. But now that she had three team members, she knew she was going to need to buy more Pokemon food soon enough, along with different little serving dishes for each team member.

Upon exiting the forest and arriving in Viridian City, she did just that, finding a Viridian Market that was extremely similar to Cerulean Market. She also picked out some Pecha Berry flavored snack cakes for Mina, who was resting up and feeding her Pokemon team back at the lodging. While part of her wanted to just push on and rush down to Pallet Town, she also knew that would be a bit unrealistic and Mina wouldn’t be up for it. So instead, she spent a little quality time playing with each of her Pokemon to help redirect her nerves about getting to visit Professor Oak soon, which helped immensely, and eventually she fell into a nice fitful sleep.

“How did you know Pecha Berry is my favorite?!” Mina asked in shock as she studied the label of the pink-colored cakes, which Lillie gave to her as a surprise the following morning as they left Viridian City and headed south to Pallet Town on Route 1.

“I noticed you had Pecha jam with your toast,” Lillie explained with a smile. She did always enjoy getting treats for her friends, like how she would pay for malasadas back on Alola and knew which kinds were preferred by both Selene and Hau. It was simple, but they always seemed to like the gesture, so of course she was going to get treats for Mina too.

“Ever since I was a kid, they’ve been my favorite. There are lots of Berry trees in the Poni Wilds, so I’ve always loved going up there to pick Pechas out of the piles.” She paused. “Even if I had to fight the Crabrawlers to get them,” she grumbled. Lillie giggled, remembering Selene facing off against those same crabs. 

Lillie made a note of the Pokemon in the grass--Pidgeys as well as some purple rat that looked like Rattata, but wasn’t the same as she knew it--and didn’t feel like pausing to try to catch the rats. She wanted to get to Professor Oak’s lab, after all, and started to imagine what it was going to be like once they got there…

“Hi, ladies! Would you like a free Potion?” asked an eager young male voice. Lillie blinked out of her little imagination trip and saw a smiling young man in a Poke Mart uniform, holding out two purple Potions. “It’s free, courtesy of the Poke Mart.”

“Thank you,” Lillie and Mina said in unison, each taking a Potion and stowing them in their bags.

“Remember to visit us in Viridian City!” he said after them as they started back down the path, eventually stepping into Pallet Town.

It was a quiet, small town, mainly residential, though there was a building on top of a hill with a big wind turbine on it as well as a building with a storefront and a small radio tower mounted next to it. The girls noticed a few things lacking--there was no Poke Mart, there was no Pallet Mart and there was no Pokemon Center either. 

“Do they have anything here?” Mina wondered quietly as she surveyed the surroundings. “I mean, not to be rude, but…”

“Well, but you WERE rude!” a girl about Lillie’s age declared, stopping to glare at the both of them. “This is MY town you’re talking about!”

“O-oh, well, we’re sorry, we’ve just...we’ve been in some other cities recently and,” Lillie began explaining frantically. 

“Apology not accepted,” the girl declared. Lillie and Mina got a good look at her: dark red hair in a high ponytail, frowning brown eyes, wearing a green jacket with a white shirt underneath it and dark blue leggings with dark red sneakers. “What are you snobs here for, anyway?”

“We’re not snobs,” Mina said defensively.

“I’m here to get a Pokemon,” Lillie said at the same time as Mina spoke. “I’m a new trainer.”

“Oh, well, I am too, actually,” the girl said, taking out a trainer ID. Lillie read the name on it: Shiori. 

“I wonder where she got that,” Mina mumbled, since there appeared to be no Pokemon Center around to issue an ID. 

“Shiori, huh? I’m Lillie,” Lillie answered, taking out her ID as well. “I’m from Alola, but I moved here recently.” 

“You must live in Saffron City or something to be so judgmental,” Shiori said and began walking in a certain direction, so Lillie and Mina followed, assuming she would be heading to Professor Oak’s lab. 

“Cerulean,” Lillie corrected. 

“Tch! Well, I’ll go through there soon enough so I can defeat Misty and get her badge!” Shiori spoke confidently. “My mom and dad bought me this beautiful badge case for my birthday. It’s real mahogany, straight from Mahogany Town in Johto! With mother-of-pearl inlay! It cost them, like, a ton of money.”

Imperceptibly to Shiori, Mina rolled her eyes. She hated braggarts and dealt with them a lot--kids who figured that since their parents could buy them anything they wanted, they just automatically deserved the Fairium Z without even battling. She loved to make them humble.

“That’s nice,” Lillie replied apathetically.

Shiori didn’t seem to hear the tone of Lillie’s voice there. “It sure is! I can’t wait to get my Pokemon. I know exactly which one I want.” 

Shiori was leading them up the hill to that building with the turbine, which, as it turned out, was indeed Professor Oak’s lab. The three of them walked inside to discover a foyer with a few different doors and a stairway off to the side. A sign was placed in front of them.

“Welcome new trainers! Please go upstairs to receive your Pokemon.”

Shiori and Lillie glanced sideways at one another and began racing up the stairs, Mina following behind at a casual pace, the two younger girls neck and neck--but Lillie pulled ahead and alighted on the second floor first. 

This was clearly where Oak and his team did their studies. Lots of big, complex-looking machines lined the walls, many of them featuring screens with different readouts on them. There was also an aquarium, which made Lillie remember Kukui for a moment. A chair sat in front of one particularly large computer screen, beside the stairs up to a mezzanine that was above a library-like area with bookshelves and couches. In the middle of the space was a circular table that had three Poke Balls on it.

“Why, hello there!” came the voice of Professor Oak, who wandered over from the library area to greet the trio. Shiori and Lillie were out of breath. “You must be new trainers. My goodness, did you run all the way here?”

“No,” Lillie panted. “Just up...the stairs.”

Oak chuckled. “So eager to begin your journey! Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

“Water,” Shiori gasped.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Lillie said hastily.

A lab assistant appeared with a bottle of water for Shiori, who guzzled half of it in one sip but, as Lillie noted, did not thank anyone for the hospitality.

“Now that we have all found our bearings again, let us begin,” Oak said. He then caught sight of Mina, who was gazing into the aquarium. “Ah, young miss, are you a new trainer too?”

“Nope,” Mina said, raising her arm to show off her Z-Ring.

“My word! Is that a Z-Ring?” Oak jogged over to have a closer look. “I have heard that these hold incredible power!”

Mina smiled proudly, looking away from the aquarium. “It does. See, it has a Fairium Z in it. That lets Fairy type Pokemon use super-strong Z-Moves! I’m the Fairy-type trial captain in Alola.”

“Well, goodness!” Oak admired the glittering gem. “What brings you to Kanto?”

“I’m helping my friend Lillie begin her journey as a trainer.”

Lillie’s heart swelled with pride at being called Mina’s friend. Shiori pouted impatiently.

“Welcome to Kanto!” Oak said heartily. “Please give my greetings to Professor Kukui when you see him again.”

“Oh! Lillie used to live with him!”

“I was his research assistant,” Lillie said bashfully.

“My stars! I appear to be in the presence of Alolan royalty!” Oak said excitedly.

“Oh, uh, no, that would be Acerola, actually,” Mina replied. Oak, not knowing who that was, merely nodded.

“Well then, let us dilly-dally no longer.” Oak returned to the circular table. “Before me lie three very unique and special Pokemon who can help you budding new trainers begin your journeys.” He pointed to one ball. “This is Charmander, a Fire type Pokemon.” He pointed to another. “This is Squirtle, a Water type Pokemon.” And Lillie made note of exactly which ball he pointed to after that. “This is Bulbasaur, a Grass type Pokemon.” Lillie did nothing to indicate her interest in that particular ball, worried that Shiori might clock it and nab Bulbasaur first. “Each of you may take one Pokemon. I will also give you each a Pokedex, a special device that allows you to catalog the Pokemon you see and learn more about the ones you have caught.” Now he looked at both girls. “Which one would you like?”

Lillie did not hesitate, instantly reaching out and grabbing Bulbasaur. Shiori made an annoyed noise and then went for Charmander.

“Oh ho! Excellent choices, both of you!” Oak said happily before going to retrieve two red Pokedexes. “These are your Pokedexes! You will register them to your trainer ID and then simply point the Pokedex at whatever you want to know more about. It’s that easy! Now then, do either of you have any questions?”

“Yeah,” Shiori said boldly. “Can we battle each other?”

“You can, but I must ask you to do it outside, I don’t want any of my machinery to get damaged.” Oak smiled. “That’s very common for new trainers to do so they can begin to learn about their new friends.” 

Shiori flicked her wrist showily so her Poke Ball glinted in the light. “Then let’s do it.”

Outside the lab, Mina took a seat on a bench to watch the fight--and to draw a picture of Lillie, of course. “I want a good, clean fight,” she advised the two, borrowing a phrase she often heard Nanu use back in Alola. 

Lillie decided to just not mention that she already had three other Pokemon, because she knew Shiori would accuse her of some dubious behavior, so she set her bag down on the ground. “Go, Bulbasaur!” She threw the ball and Bulbasaur appeared in a flash of white light.

“Time to shine, Charmander!” Shiori said, throwing her ball with a flourish and presenting Charmander.

The girls consulted their Pokedexes to find out the movesets for each Pokemon. Being at only level 5 for each of them, the movesets were pretty paltry. Lillie had only Tackle and Growl at her disposal while Shiori had Scratch and Growl.

“You’re at a type disadvantage,” Mina advised Lillie from the sidelines. “Fire is strong against Grass, so be careful!”

Lillie nodded. “Bulbasaur, use Growl!”

Bulbasaur growled loudly at Charmander, who did look a little intimidated. 

“Right back at you--Charmander, Growl!” Shiori shouted, and Charmander did the same. 

Lillie realized they could be there all day, growling at each other until their attack stat could decrease no more. She grit her teeth. Time to go. “Bulbasaur, use Tackle!”

Bulbasaur crouched down, wiggled to gather up strength and hit Charmander head-on in the chest. 

“Charmander, Scratch!” Charmander extended claws on its hand and scratched Bulbasaur across the head. 

“Bulbasaur, use Tackle again!”

“Scratch again, Charmander!”

And the battle continued just like that--tackling and scratching back and forth, back and forth, a close match, but then Lillie went for one more Tackle while Shiori thought to change it up with a Growl and that was the final straw. Charmander slumped onto the ground, exhausted and unable to keep going. 

“Lillie wins!” Mina announced, clapping her hands once.

Shiori counted out 80 dollars and resentfully gave them to Lillie. “I’ll beat you next time, I’ll make sure of it. See you in Viridian City.”

Lillie silently took the money, nodding. Shiori recalled her tired Charmander into the ball and walked quickly back down the hill towards town. 

“Well done,” Mina said to Lillie before kneeling down to acknowledge Bulbasaur. “And to you too, you did great!” The Pokemon gave her a wide smile. “Hey, is Bulbasaur a boy or girl?”

Lillie quickly checked her Pokedex. “A boy!”

“Cool. Good work, big fella.” Mina patted Bulbasaur’s big green bulb. 

“Yeah!” Lillie also patted the bulb, which felt soft like the leaves of a flower but looked very substantial. “Thanks for that battle. Let’s heal you up now.” She got out the free Potion from earlier and applied it.

“Bulbasaur!” He looked positively thrilled. 

Walking down the hill back to town, all Lillie could think about was Shiori--and how they looked so alike with their high ponytails. She caught sight of herself in a window as they got back into town and stopped, examining her hair, thinking about how it was so long and sometimes got pretty tough to take care of...and how it made her think of her mother in a weird sort of way…

“Hey, um...Mina?”

Mina stopped now too. “What’s up?”

“I think I want a haircut.” Lillie’s mouth went dry from nerves at this suggestion, though she knew it was the right thing to do. She wanted to set herself apart from Shiori, she wanted something easier to take care of, she wanted to mark her new adventures as a trainer.

Mina squealed in excitement. “Yes! Oh my Arceus, yes, you should do it!” She was hopping up and down on the spot. “Do you think this place has a salon?”

To their surprise, it did--a small salon with just three chairs and no other customers at the time, staffed solely by an older woman with a mane of thick brown curls around her head. 

“Hello,” Lillie said, her voice faltering just a bit. “I would like a haircut.”

Mina hung out in the waiting area, flicking idly through a magazine, while Lillie hopped in the middle of the three chairs and the hairdresser put a smock on over her to protect her clothes. 

“My name is Andrea, by the way,” the hairdresser said as she looked in the mirror and began to consider Lillie’s hair, running her hands through it. “What would you like to do today…”

“Lillie. I would like it short, please. To my shoulders?”

Andrea nodded and released Lillie’s hair from the intricate braid-and-ponytail system she had currently, letting it fall like two long sweeping blonde curtains. “It would look good on you, short hair. You’ll wear it well. I can do that. Let’s wash your hair now so I can get started.”

Lillie rather liked the feeling of someone else washing her hair for once. It relaxed her and put her at ease, making her better able to cope mentally with the idea of doing something so unusual and yet so brave.

After getting washed, Lillie was taken back to the chair and then Andrea really got to work. It seemed she preferred to work in silence, so Lillie obeyed that, simply gazing around the room every so often.

“Um...are you alone here?”

“Not always. On some days I have two other girls as well, but they’re off today. I can handle these slower days by myself.” Andrea snipped a strand of hair. “I can also groom your Pokemon if you would like. They enjoy it and it makes them feel friendlier towards you.”

“Would you?”

“Sure! It’s an extra 100 dollars per Pokemon. If you have any real big ones, I have to do it outside.”

“Mm, no, no big ones. I have an Eevee, a Pidgey, a Pikachu and a Bulbasaur.”

“Goodness, you’re busy! I could groom all 4 of them. I’ll knock 100 off the price. 4 for the price of 3. Sound good?” 

“Yeah!”

After some time, the haircut was finally finished and Lillie’s hair now hung down only to her shoulders. Andrea invited her to look in the mirror, as well as in a hand mirror so Lillie could be able to see the back and sides thanks to reflections from other strategically placed mirrors. Lillie smiled from ear to ear upon seeing it--she looked so different, and yet she was still the same Lillie, just with a different style. Was it still Z-powered? No, she decided, it was Kanto-style!

She watched admiringly from the chair as Andrea went to work on her little team, washing them all, trimming Eevee’s chest fur, drying Pidgey’s feathers with a blow dryer on the lowest heat setting, shaping up the fur between Pikachu’s ears and applying a special kind of mud to Bulbasaur. 

“This mud, Bulbasaurs love it,” Andrea explained. “It is very cooling and gives their skin a sparkling sheen.” Bulbasaur was rinsed off in a different, larger tub made for this purpose and Lillie made note of how he did indeed seem to sparkle. 

“Thank you so much! We all look so great!” Lillie gushed as she began to count out the money for her cut and for her team’s grooming, plus extra on top for Andrea to keep. 

“Oh, it was my pleasure. I love what I do,” Andrea answered, taking the money. “Would you like something too, dear?” she asked Mina.

“No, I’m good,” Mina answered.

“OK then! Well, you two have a good day, all right?”

Lillie and Mina got back onto the street. 

“You do look really good,” Mina said, smiling.

Lillie smiled again. “Thank you.”


	6. Back At It Again

Lillie and Mina stood outside the Pokemon Center in Viridian City the next day, Mina holding her bag in one hand and her small green Ride Pager in the other. Mina tapped the pager’s button with her thumb, waited a few moments, looked around, saw nothing and pressed the button again. Still nothing. A third time, still nothing.

“Umm...I don’t think it’s going to work,” Lillie said quietly.

“You’re right. Three Charizards should be here by now.” Mina looked around again. “And I don’t see any.” She shrugged. “Maybe they don’t use Poke Ride here. But then how do you fly around quickly? Maybe you don’t?” She scratched her head. “Well, that’s OK. I’ll just keep traveling with you until you hit Vermilion City and then I’ll catch a boat back home.”

“Sounds good,” Lillie replied casually, trying to hide the fact that she had felt kind of sad at the idea of Mina leaving so soon.

“I want to see you start getting badges, anyway,” Mina reasoned as she put the Ride Pager back in her bag. “Why did I even think of leaving? Sheesh!” She shook her head. “Whatever. Let’s go back up through the forest, then?”

A different set of trainers waited inside Viridian Forest, eager to battle with Lillie, who was eager to get Bulbasaur and Pidgey some experience. Bulbasaur learned a new move, Leech Seed, that he was really enjoying the effect of, while Pidgey learned how to use Gust and liked the feeling of wind whipping in her wings.

Now that Mina knew her way around--this certainly wasn’t as complex as Lush Jungle and it was tough to get lost--she felt comfortable letting her Pokemon out of their balls to enjoy some fresh air. Shiinotic and Ribombee seemed especially at ease, though even Klefki was clinking her keys excitedly and Wigglytuff was bouncing along. Granbull separated himself from the group briefly, rummaging around in the foliage and returning with an unusual flower in his mouth.

Mina took the flower from the pink dog, looking it over curiously. It was truly unlike any other flower she’d ever seen because every petal was a different color, combining to create a stunning little rainbow. She patted Granbull’s head affectionately and then placed the flower between empty pages of her sketchbook to press it.

Lillie spent some quality time in the forest until Bulbasaur picked up the move Vine Whip, at which point she felt confident enough to proceed forward to Pewter City and challenge Brock. Her team could use a healing and she could use something to eat, which she began to think about as they left the forest…

“Aha!” It was Shiori, standing right outside the gate from the forest, her hands on her hips. “Found you. We’re battling now.”

“Now? Can I go heal up first?” Lillie asked.

“Nope. Battling now.” She threw a Poke Ball. “Go, Pidgey!”

Lillie decided to let Pikachu take this one. “Go, Pikachu!”

“You managed to find a Pikachu in there?” Shiori asked in disbelief. “Lucky…Pidgey, use Sand Attack!”

Pidgey kicked up sand at Pikachu, who did his best to try to shake it off and blink it out of his eyes, but Lillie knew he could still potentially miss attacks.

“Do your best, Pikachu! Thunder Wave!”

Waves of yellow lightning encircled Pidgey, who was now afflicted with paralysis and subject to missing attacks too.

“Tackle, Pidgey!” Despite the paralysis, Pidgey broke through and hit Pikachu with a solid tackle.

“Go for Thunder Shock, Pikachu!” With a loud crackle, a long bolt of lightning descended from the air and hit Pidgey, who was instantly unable to battle any further. Shiori recalled the exhausted bird and sent out her only other team member, Charmander.

Lillie didn’t have anyone who was particularly strong against Charmander, but she felt lucky, so she sent out Eevee. Why not match a first teammate with a first teammate? She commanded Eevee to use Sand Attack first, which caused Charmander’s first attempt at Ember to miss. Eevee hit a Tackle, but the next Ember did not miss and it certainly dealt some damage. This time Eevee tried Tail Whip, which did help, though another Ember hit the spot once again. Lillie could tell he was getting pretty worn out, but she didn’t want to give up and recall him yet--she felt he had a little more in him and asked him to use Tackle again. Buoyed by Lillie’s faith in him, Eevee hit Charmander so hard that the fiery lizard collapsed in a heap on the ground.

“How did you manage to win AGAIN? UGH!” Shiori growled through gritted teeth as she recalled her Pokemon once more and counted out 144 dollars this time to hand out in defeat. “Can’t stand it! I’m going to train so hard that I’ll leave you in the dust next time!” She stuck her tongue out at Lillie and ran off to heal in Pewter City.

“Rude,” Mina remarked and Lillie nodded in agreement.

They decided to not go to the Pokemon Center immediately, knowing Shiori would likely be there waiting as her team healed, so instead they entered the city and looked for a restaurant. Mina gasped excitedly upon seeing a noodle restaurant, reminded of the one located in the Wailord boat back home, and immediately insisted on dining in there. It was a small and cozy place to eat, its walls dark wood, illuminated by a collection of paper lanterns with various Pokemon painted on them. Though Zumongous Z-Noodles were not on the menu, a similar large noodle bowl was, and Mina happily gobbled away at it while Lillie asked for a slightly smaller bowl. They also luxuriated over a kettle of lovely green tea, enjoying just relaxing for a little while. 

When it was time to visit the center, Mina peeked her head in first to do a Shiori search. Not finding that dark red ponytail, she declared the coast was clear and Lillie brought her team in for healing. Once again Lillie decided not to try to do too much in one day--plus, she was too full from her noodles to even consider taking on the gym challenge--and so they called it a day in the lodging, Mina closely examining that rainbow-hued flower Granbull found earlier.

After a hearty meal of Kalos toast and fruit the next morning, Lillie felt ready to take on the world, let alone Brock and his crony Liam. She went to the gym early in the day and announced her intention to make a challenge to the advisor standing in the doorway beside two identical statues bearing the names of those who succeeded in their attempt. He nodded and led Lillie into a smaller antechamber of the main area, the place where Liam stood among piles of rocks, ready to be the pre-test for ambitious trainers.

Against Lillie’s Bulbasaur, Liam’s Geodude stood no chance--felled by a single Vine Whip--and his Sandshrew hardly did better. He was defeated before Mina could even remember to take out her sketchbook. 

“You’re ready for Brock,” Liam declared as he paid out his defeat money, leading Lillie to a set of double doors. “Oh, um, if you want to watch, you need to go to the spectators’ seating,” he advised Mina, who simply gave a thumbs-up and made her way out of the antechamber, flashing Lillie a victory sign before disappearing from view. 

Liam opened the double doors and Lillie caught sight of the main area from a totally different angle. It was enormous, much bigger than it looked from up above, and full of jagged rocks. She looked up to the seating area and saw that it had a few people other than Mina in it, but not as many as when they were spectating before--it was still early in the morning, though, and maybe that meant fewer people were out and about. Mina was front and center, waving eagerly, her sketchbook on her lap.

Lillie waved back and then saw Brock enter from a door off in the corner, stretching his neck from side to side and moving his arms around in a circle, preparing to fight. 

“So, you’re here,” he began, his voice booming in the mostly empty space, amplified by a microphone clipped to his vest. “I’m Brock. I’m Pewter’s gym leader.”

“Obviously,” Lillie thought to herself. 

“My rock-hard willpower is evident in my Pokemon. My Pokemon are all rock hard and have true-grit determination. That’s right, my Pokemon are all the Rock type!” He laughed, but again Lillie found this totally obvious. “You’re going to challenge me knowing that you’ll lose? That’s the trainer’s honor that compels me to challenge you. Fine, then! Show me your best!” He took out a Poke Ball. “Go, Geodude!”

“Bulbasaur, go!” Lillie shouted, aware that she did not have on a microphone, trying to speak loudly for the benefit of the audience.

“Defense Curl, Geodude!” The rock with arms flexed and curled up briefly.

“Leech Seed, Bulbasaur!” Lillie’s Pokemon shot three seeds out of his bulb. They fell to the ground around Geodude and sprouted into little green shoots. The shoots glowed before draining a small bit of Geodude’s energy, bringing it to Bulbasaur, as it would do for more turns after this. 

“Geodude, Tackle!”

“Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!”

As with Liam’s Geodude, Vine Whip was a sure bet, affecting Geodude so strongly that he could fight no more--and thus the Leech Seed shoots shriveled up and disappeared.

“Go, Onix!”

Lillie’s heart beat faster because she knew Onix was Brock’s ace. She also knew the best thing to do was to seed Onix and get that draining benefit, then continue on with Vine Whip. Even with her plan in place, though, the sight of the enormous rocky snake still intimidated her a bit. It was hardly a wonder this gym was so big with the size of that thing.

Brock commanded Onix to use Bind first, as Lillie saw previously, so she had Bulbasaur retort with Leech Seed in order to try to recoup what would be lost from the binding. It worked, giving her the confidence to continue. As planned, she requested Vine Whip next, and though it was effective, it didn’t immediately knock Onix out of contention. He combined the continuing effect of Bind with a Tackle for a double dose of damage that was only slightly alleviated by the Leech Seeds. But Lillie kept on, her faith in her Bulbasaur strong as ever, and requested another Vine Whip. She knew she was going to get a little low on uses for Vine Whip soon, and she had nothing to fix that with, so she hoped this would do the job…

It did.

Onix released the Bind, falling backwards and landing with a loud thud, the floor rumbling under Lillie and Brock’s feet. 

Brock was defeated--which meant, of course, that Lillie was the winner!

He recalled Onix and began walking towards the middle of the field. Lillie watched for a moment before realizing she should maybe meet him there. She had tensed up during the battle and her leg muscles felt quite tight, but she still walked forward.

“I took you for granted,” Brock admitted. “And so I lost.” He reached into a pocket of his vest and retrieved a small gray octagon-shaped object. “As proof of your victory, I confer on you this...the official Pokemon League Boulder Badge.” He showed Lillie the badge in his hand and she admired it for a moment before taking it, awkwardly holding it in her hand because she didn’t know what else to do. “Just having the Boulder Badge makes your Pokemon more powerful. It also enables the use of the move Flash outside battle.” Lillie wanted to ask what Flash was, but hesitated. “Of course, a Pokemon must know the use Flash to move it.” That did not answer her question one bit and she wondered if Brock was done talking. “Wait! Take this with you!” He handed over a shining compact disc. “A TM, Technical Machine, contains a technique for Pokemon. Using a TM teaches the move it contains to a Pokemon. A TM is only good for one use, so when you use one, pick the Pokemon carefully.” Lillie admired the disc. “Anyways, TM39 contains Rock Tomb. It hurls boulders at the foe and lowers its speed.”

“Thank you,” Lillie said quietly now.

Brock continued. “There are all kinds of trainers in this huge world of ours.” Lillie thought for a moment about how that was definitely the case, and about all the ones she had met so far. “You appear to be very gifted as a Pokemon trainer. So let me make a suggestion--go to the gym in Cerulean and test your abilities.”

Lillie nodded, clutching her prizes tightly in her hand. Brock also gave Lillie her prize money, smiling at her as if to wish her well, and then she turned and left through the doors she had entered previously. Liam congratulated her and advised her to buy a TM case as well as a badge case, both of those being available at Pewter Mart. Then, back in the lobby, Mina was waiting with a huge smile on her face.

The trial captain leapt forward and engulfed Lillie in a hug. “Congratulations!” she shouted. “You did it! You were incredible out there! I drew an amazing picture!”

“I want to SEE it,” Lillie answered through the hug, wondering if she’d dropped her prizes.

“When it’s ready,” Mina insisted, releasing the hug, admiring Lillie for a moment. “Amazing! What a trainer.”

“Can we go to Pewter Mart? I need some cases for this stuff.”

“Of course we can!” Mina said loudly and eagerly. “Let’s go now!”

TM cases were pretty much only available in one style that securely held and protected the shiny discs, but the variety of badge cases available was overwhelming and the prices ranged from reasonable to, well, something like what Shiori’s parents paid. Lillie wanted none of that, instead picking a small pink plastic case that featured indents shaped like each of the eight badges. She popped the Boulder Badge in and checked out how it looked--it was good--then noticed the next badge was shaped like a drop of water. Next assignment, she thought, was to read up on Cerulean City’s gym. Well, after paying for her new purchases, anyway.

To calm down a bit, Mina suggested they visit the city’s science museum, where they marveled at exhibits about fossils and exploring space. An old man talked about watching the moon landing while they observed a model of a space shuttle. Mina stood transfixed in front of a painting of a galaxy for quite some time, marveling at the use of color and texture, until Lillie dragged her away and told her she was getting hungry.

They ate at the Pokemon Center this time, Shiori nowhere to be found, and were sightseeing in the afternoon when they happened to run into none other than Brock himself.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully, sounding nothing like the serious man he was in the gym. Now he sounded more friendly and approachable. “I wanted to invite you to see something.” Lillie looked at Mina, who just shrugged in assurance, and then the two of them followed Brock back to the lobby of the gym. Brock gestured to the right-side statue. “Look at the list of victorious trainers.” 

Lillie looked closely, reading each name, until she saw her own at the end of the list. There it was, carved into a plaque--the letters L I L L I E.

“How...did you get it in there? I don’t think I ever told you my name,” she said, still awed by seeing her name there.

Brock smiled knowingly. “When you took the Boulder Badge, it registered to your trainer ID, which was then sent back here to the gym for my assistant here…” The advisor Lillie remembered from earlier smiled warmly and waved. “To inscribe upon this statue. And so it shall remain here.”

Mina looked around each side of the statue. “But what if you run out of space?”

“Then that plaque is removed and placed in this area.” Brock gestured to the far wall, which featured rows of plaques that were completely full of names. “It will always be here in some form, Lillie. Your victory will be recalled for all time.” Mina looked particularly impressed. “Of all my challengers today, I only had two victories, you and another trainer.” Lillie felt a shot of fear at the idea that it was Shiori, so she looked at the plaque. No--it was a person named Bernie. “I have a tradition of inviting victorious challengers to my home for a meal. Would you care to join me? You are invited as well,” he said to Mina. 

“Sure!” Lillie said eagerly. She wanted to see who this Bernie person was. “Can I ask you something?” Brock nodded. “Did someone named Shiori come through today? Oh, um, she has long dark red hair in a high ponytail, green jacket…”

“Ah, yes. She did. She was defeated,” Brock explained. “Liam defeated her, and so she was unable to challenge me. I’m sure she’ll come back later with a different team and try again.”

Lillie and Mina shot each other a victorious glance.

“Would you ladies like to accompany me to my house now?” Brock asked. “I’d certainly love to have such pretty girls join me for dinner.” Mina and Lillie both blushed a little bit. “Roger, please close up the gym for the evening.” The advisor, apparently named Roger, nodded and Brock led Lillie and Mina out of the gym, into the streets of Pewter City as the sun began to set.


End file.
